1
2
as in populace
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite
tensions mounted until the people rose up in rebellion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in family
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor
introduced my new boyfriend to my people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants
a science-fiction novel about a mission to people Mars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of people
Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2025
Our ancestors peopled the most lonesome reaches of the globe, from Hawaii to Easter Island, in the span of just a few thousand years.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
But unlike Michelangelo, who was known for his muscular figures, Butcher peopled his chapel with his signature sprites.
—Penelope Green, Baltimore Sun, 1 July 2024
Costner, who also co-wrote the script (with Jon Baird and Mark Kasdan), may not have the best control of this sprawling story peopled with a giant and somewhat confusing roster of characters.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 28 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for people
Verb
By Meaghan Garvey February 13, 2025 Image by Chris Panicker, photo by Chris Weeks/WireImage
Know that all of Nature is but a magic theater,
that the great Mother is the master magician,
and that this whole world is peopled by her many parts.
—Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2025
Our ancestors peopled the most lonesome reaches of the globe, from Hawaii to Easter Island, in the span of just a few thousand years.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
But unlike Michelangelo, who was known for his muscular figures, Butcher peopled his chapel with his signature sprites.
—Penelope Green, Baltimore Sun, 1 July 2024
Costner, who also co-wrote the script (with Jon Baird and Mark Kasdan), may not have the best control of this sprawling story peopled with a giant and somewhat confusing roster of characters.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 28 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for people
Recent Examples of Synonyms for people
Verb
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And once again, fans of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical can see the show’s 18th-century characters inhabited by an all-new cast of actors.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2025
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Hiaasen’s skill as a writer lies less in the virtuosity of his sentence-level prose than in the exuberant strangeness of his plots and the inner lives of the people who inhabit them.—
Amy Weiss-Meyer,
The Atlantic,
8 May 2025
Verb
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At a time when the internet was still sparsely populated, 4chan guaranteed constant energy, no matter the time of day or night.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2025
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These physical spaces, populated by actual people, are what the resistance is trying to save.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“People.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/people. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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